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Donald Trump has arrived in Beijing for a two-day summit with Xi Jinping, with trade, AI, Taiwan, and the ongoing Iran conflict all on the agenda.

This comes as Russia test-fired its nuclear-capable Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which Putin described as the world's most powerful, and as Serbia and NATO held their first-ever joint military exercise.

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1️⃣ 🇨🇳🇺🇸 Trump lands in Beijing for high-stakes Xi summit: Trump arrived in China for a two-day summit with Xi Jinping, accompanied by tech executives including Elon Musk and Tim Cook, with trade, AI, and Taiwan on the agenda. The ongoing Iran conflict looms large, with the U.S. seeking China's leverage over Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while concerns grow that Trump may soften his stance on Taiwan in exchange for Xi's cooperation.

2️⃣ 🇷🇸 Serbia and NATO hold first-ever joint military exercise: The two-week drills involving around 600 troops from Serbia, Italy, Romania, and Turkiye mark a significant milestone less than 30 years after NATO bombed Belgrade. Serbia maintains military neutrality and has balanced ties with both NATO and Russia, though it has been part of NATO's Partnership for Peace programme for nearly 20 years.

3️⃣ 🇷🇺 Russia test-fires nuclear-capable Sarmat missile: Putin described the intercontinental ballistic missile as the world's most powerful, claiming its warhead yield is more than four times greater than any Western equivalent. The test comes as New START — the last treaty capping U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals — expired in February with no successor agreement in sight.

4️⃣ 🇺🇸🇨🇳 California mayor resigns over China foreign agent charges: Arcadia mayor Eileen Wang resigned after the DOJ charged her with acting as an illegal foreign agent of China, having agreed to plead guilty to the felony count and facing up to 10 years in prison. Wang and a co-conspirator allegedly ran a website disseminating pro-Beijing propaganda at the direction of PRC officials, with city authorities noting the conduct occurred before she took office in December 2022.

5️⃣ 🇺🇦 Zelensky's ex-chief of staff appears in court amid corruption probe: Andriy Yermak was named a suspect in a money-laundering scheme tied to a $10.5m luxury construction project, with prosecutors seeking either his detention or $4m bail. The case is part of a broader $100m embezzlement inquiry into Ukraine's nuclear energy sector that has ensnared several former Zelensky allies, casting a shadow over the country's EU membership bid.

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Major Story

🇬🇷🇺🇦 Greece identifies sea drone found on island as Ukrainian

Greece's defence minister confirmed that an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) discovered by a fisherman on the island of Lefkada on May 7 is of Ukrainian origin, calling the incident "extremely serious." 

The drone, which was carrying explosives, was towed near a harbour before being transferred to a mainland naval base, where the explosives were subsequently destroyed. 

Greek naval experts noted the craft bears similarities to Ukraine's Magura-type drone, a platform developed by Ukrainian intelligence. 

Defence Minister Nikos Dendias raised the matter with EU counterparts in Brussels, warning that the drone's presence posed a threat to freedom of navigation in the Mediterranean — a busy waterway used by tourist, ferry, and commercial vessels. 

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇮🇷 Iran threatens weapons-grade enrichment as ceasefire falters: Tehran warned it could accelerate uranium enrichment to weapons-grade levels if attacked again, after Trump dismissed its 14-point peace proposal as "garbage" and described the ceasefire as on "life support." Trump aides say he is more seriously considering resuming major combat operations, though a decision is unlikely before the conclusion of his Beijing summit.

2️⃣ 🇷🇺 Russian ship that sank near Spain may have been carrying nuclear reactors to North Korea: A CNN investigation found that the Ursa Major, which sank off Spain in December 2024, was likely carrying two submarine nuclear reactors potentially destined for North Korea, with the Spanish investigation suggesting a supercavitating torpedo may have breached the hull. A suspected Russian spy ship returned to the wreck site a week later and triggered four more explosions, while the U.S. has twice sent nuclear detection aircraft over the area. 

3️⃣ 🇬🇧 Starmer defies resignation calls as Labour revolt deepens: Four junior ministers and six aides have resigned, with over 80 Labour MPs publicly calling for Starmer to go following local elections in which Labour lost 20% of the vote and ceded ground to Nigel Farage's Reform UK. Starmer told cabinet he would "get on with governing," though senior figures including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have urged him to set a timetable to leave.

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